(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved poured concrete floor, wall or roof form system where the size of the concrete rib can easily vary in size plus the panel system has a fire rating assembly built into the forming system. Different types of materials can be used interchangeably without changing the integrity of the concrete structure as well as the method to fabricate a building panel and transverse beam.
(2) Background of the Invention
It is well known in the industry that light gauge metal framing is used to support floors, more typically by attaching plywood to the top flange of the metal framing channel. Then if a concrete floor was desired, a thin concrete topping was installed over the plywood.
Another method to create a concrete floor was to install portable forms using temporary bracing to support the portable forms. The concrete hardens then the temporary forms and shoring are removed thereby creating a concrete floor and an exposed concrete ceiling below the floor.
There are several floor forming systems that are presently on the market that are made of polystyrene and metal channels. These panels are a polystyrene mold used to support a concrete floor or concrete wall panel until the concrete has cured. The concrete material and its structural steel reinforcing is the structural result of using the polystyrene forms. The forms are made so that a ribbed concrete configuration will result. These existing panels are basically manufactured where a metal support channel is embedded in the thicker middle section of the polystyrene or in some cases two metal supports are installed within the panel. The metal channels support the expanded polystyrene and the concrete until the concrete has cured.
In some cases the metal channel is molded into the polystyrene, other times the metal channel is slid into the polystyrene at the thicker interior section of the panel. In another case the polystyrene fits over the metal channels again at the thicker polystyrene section of the panel.
Initially LeBlang in U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,561 showed a floor or wall constructed on metal channels and rigid insulation with intermediate crossing beams within the wall/floor structures using rigid insulation or rigid board as additional support until the concrete has cured. In addition isolated beams and columns are shown using light gauge metal framing and other beams are shown using steel bar joists as a forming structure.
Later PCT/EP97/05671 was converted to U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,622, by Cretti has embedded metal channels within expanded plastic material to support a concrete floor until the concrete has cured. The expanded plastic material is extruded with the steel studs embedded therein. The panels are interconnected to form a floor upon which concrete is cast. In addition lath is installed to the flange of the metal channels and plaster material is installed over the metal lath to create a fire resistant underside of the floor construction.
Soon thereafter Boeshart in U.S. Pat. No. 6,817,150 improved on Plastedil patent by adding layer of expanded polystyrene material to increase the depth of the concrete ribs without having to remake a panel as well as used oblique sidewalls to better secure the expanded polystyrene to the concrete ribs.
Later LeBlang in US 2007/0044392 shows a floor system supported by two light gauge metal channels back to back or an H channel. The flanges of the channels support a rigid board or an expanded polystyrene material. An additional layer of expanded polystyrene is then added on top of the rigid board forming the ribbed concrete flooring mold. The metal channels penetrate the rigid insulation, allowing the light gauge metal support channels to support a flooring system until the concrete has cured.
Two years later US 2006/0251851 by Bowman embeds a portion of the light gauge metal framing into the expanded polymer with the metal framing exposed above and/or below the expanded polymer. Later that same year in US 2008/0041004 by Gibbar, shows metal channels supporting polymer foam to form a concrete ribbed system. Then later that same year Amend in US 2007/0074804 embeds a brace within the polymer foam to give strength to the expanded polymer. The light gauge metal channels support the embedded brace within the foam adding additional support to the foam.
One thing all these panels have in common is that the metal channels support the polystyrene and the polystyrene supports a floor rib by the narrow polystyrene support of the panel. The weight of the concrete at the rib section of the panel is the thickest and therefore the heaviest. All of these existing panels support the heaviest portion or the rib section with only the polystyrene and not the metal channel.
Typically the existing polystyrene panels are not protected from fire. The polystyrene and the metal channels are exposed to any type of fire or explosions within the building. Polystyrene is flammable and does melt until extreme heat or fire. The building codes require that the polystyrene molds be protected, that is add drywall or spray on fireproofing to reduce smoke and fire within a building. In other words, the existing patents require additional materials to be added to within a building to reduce the public health and safety issues within our building codes.
In addition to the floor/wall panel mold, these various floor panel molds can be supported by the light gauge framing beams or the steel bar joists as shown in the LeBlang patent U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,561. The depth of the beam can be extended when using light gauge framing or bar joists as an extension of the floor forming system.
Not all molds panels use polystyrene as the molding structure. For example, inventor Marschke has developed many machines to make cardboard. Later in a pending patent, Marschke in US 2008/0010943 uses an open core element made of fluted paper and an upper and lower sheet as a forming structure for concrete overlayment. A post tension system is used to support the floor as well as wood embedded within the core element. Other structural steel elements are used to support the fluted paper structure. A foam core can also be applied to the open cores of the fluted paper.
Another wood-based product is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,541,097 by Lynch for Masonite Corporation developed a ribbed high density fibreboard product that can be used as decking or packaging. The product is structurally support by exposed wood beams. Later in U.S. Pat. No. 7,255,765 by Ruggle shows the ribbed high density fibreboard installed with a layer above and below, therefore making a more rigid cardboard.
Another application using fiberboard in a panel application is in U.S. Pat. No. 6,737,115 by Griesbach uses a slurry to produce diagonal bands in the panel to stiffen and reinforce the panel. On the other hand U.S. Pat. No. 6,584,742 by Kilgier uses metal channels and strand board at the interior with inner and outer facing layers.
The materials being produced today are getting more sophisticated for example U.S. Pat. No. 7,232,605 by Burgueno is a hybrid natural-fiber composite panel with cellular skeleton tubular openings. The hybrid natural-fiber panel also has a greater strength than other types of products.